Luna 1
A museum replica
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| Mission type | Lunar impactor |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet Union |
| Harvard designation | 1959 Mu 1 |
| SATCAT no. | 112 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | 361 kilograms (796 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 2, 1959 16:41:21 UTC |
| Rocket | Luna 8K72 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Heliocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 1.146 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.14767 |
| Perihelion | 0.9766 AU |
| Apohelion | 1.315 AU |
| Inclination | 0.01 degrees |
| Period | 450 days |
| Lunar flyby (failed impact) | |
| Closest approach | 4 January 1959 |
| Distance | 5,995 kilometres (3,725 mi) |
Luna 1, also known as Mechta (Russian: Мечта, lit.: Dream),E-1 No.4 and First Lunar Rover , was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Earth's Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as an impactor, Luna 1 was launched as part of the Luna programme in 1959, however due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during its launch, it missed the Moon; in the process becoming the first spacecraft to leave geocentric orbit.
While traveling through the outer Van Allen radiation belt, the spacecraft's scintillator made observations indicating that a small number of high energy particles exist in the outer belt. The measurements obtained during this mission provided new data on the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. The Moon was found to have no detectable magnetic field. The first ever direct observations and measurements of the solar wind, a strong flow of ionized plasma emanating from the Sun and streaming through interplanetary space, were performed. That ionized plasma concentration was measured to be some 700 particles per cm3 at altitudes 20–25 thousand km and 300 to 400 particles per cm3 at altitudes 100–150,000 km. The spacecraft also marked the first instance of radio communication at the half-million-kilometer distance.
A malfunction in the ground-based control system caused an error in the rocket's burntime, and the spacecraft missed the target and flew by the Moon at a distance of 5,900 km at the closest point. Luna 1 then became the first man-made object to reach heliocentric orbit and was then dubbed a "new planet" and renamed Mechta (Dream).Luna 1 was also referred to as the "First Cosmic Rocket", in reference to its achievement of escape velocity.
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